Audrey Swart’s interest in fashion started early. She loved drawing clothes and fashion figures when she was a little girl and took Saturday Morning Art Classes at CCAD all throughout high school.

“I have always loved art and anything that I could channel my creativity into,” Audrey said. “Being able to fully express myself while growing up helped me to become a more confident artist and designer.”

Even though she said she’s still learning about herself as a designer, Audrey is clearly on her way to developing a design aesthetic that’s all her own.

For her senior collection, she created a style that she said is “more me than anything else I’ve ever made.” It’s a little bohemian, a little edgy, and all reminiscent of one of her lifelong inspirations—the sea.

“Most of my work is really dark and edgy,” Audrey said. “I wanted to take a little bit of a different twist on that. This is the other side of me that nobody sees very often.”

Audrey’s collection is mostly inspired by the creatures in the sea, with a jewel tone green color scheme, fish net knits, and flowing silhouettes.

Audrey’s collection includes a variety of fabrics and textures. Photos by Amanda Pierce

Though her collection is far from street wear, Audrey said she wanted the pieces to straddle the line between high fashion and ready-to-wear.

“I wanted [my collection] to be a little more high fashion than what I normally make since it was going to be on the runway, but I didn’t want it to be super unrealistic,” she said.

Her favorite look, a knit maxi dress underneath a sheer, floor-skimming cardigan, is finished with dip-dyed fringe. Another favorite, silk pants and a lace-trimmed tank, adds visual variety to the collection with a pop of black and white print.

With so many different fabrics, textures, and details, Audrey focused on a jewel tone green color palette to ensure that her collection was cohesive.

A strapless velvet leotard trimmed in fringe is a bit of a departure from the other looks, but a piece that Audrey said was necessary for variety.

“The fringe plays with the movement of the water that I wanted to focus on,” Audrey said. “The leotard is short but I put the long shawl over it to relate it back to some of the other looks. I wanted to play with different lengths.”

Audrey Swart. Photo by Amanda Pierce

Post-graduation, Audrey said she’s looking to get her foot in the door to the fashion world. She wants to experience the world, figure out what she likes, and then move forward in that direction.

“I just want to try out a bunch of different things,” she said. “I’m not going to turn anything down.”

For now, though, she’s focused on continuing to define her own style and learn about herself as a designer.

“I just make things that I like and that I would wear and that I hope other people would like to wear also.”

Catch a glimpse of Audrey’s bohemian collection at the runway show on May 9. Tickets are available now. (Hurry—they’re going fast!)

Votes have been tallied, comments reviews, and results are in. We have the final list of students whose designs will grace the runway on May 9.

An impressive panel of fashion industry professionals carefully examined nearly 110 garments and narrowed the final list to 69 looks designed and constructed by 22 students.

As we enter the last two months leading up to the show, students will be tweaking, adjusting, and finalizing their looks to ensure runway perfection. Sunday brings the daylong photo shoot and starting March 17, we’ll begin posting individual features about each designer.

Don’t miss out on your chance to see all of the runway action for yourself on May 9. Tickets are on sale here, with early purchase pricing through March 31. Join the fashionable conversation on Twitter and Facebook using #ccadfs.

Interior and Fashion Design students combined their talents for a whirlwind 10 hours to bring the old Lazarus holiday displays back to life.

A holiday favorite for generations, the extravagant window displays at the downtown department store attracted shoppers from Columbus and beyond until the store shut its doors in 2004. But while the original Lazarus Building was subsequently renovated to house a number of retail and office spaces ranging from the Columbus Chamber of Commerce to the OSU Urban Arts Space, its original display windows are still in place.

Angie Black from the Columbus Downtown Development Corp. has been decorating the windows on South High Street for the last three years, and thought the opportunity would be perfect for CCAD students to display their visual expertise.

She contacted CCAD in October, and students got to work on designs for her approval.

Dazzling holiday scenes now fill two windows with 120 hand-painted ornaments, dresses made out of wrapping paper, paper trees, and strings of lights.

“[The students] did [the displays] in one day, which was just amazing to me,” Black said. “They deserve every bit of the attention.”

The displays can be seen from the High Street side of the Lazarus Building, located at 50 W. Town St., Columbus, Ohio, 43215. They will be on display through the first week on January.

CCAD’s Honors Program has always been inventive in their projects (think DNA necklaces), and this semester is no different. This semester’s honors retail class chose to create a pop-up store on campus called One. The store will be open in Beaton Gallery Dec. 9, 1–9 p.m. and Dec. 10, 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

“One is a curated shopping experience for the creative community in Columbus,” said Lillie Templeton, a senior in Advertising & Graphic Design. “We are handpicking the product, designing the space, and building the displays. To give it an extra twist, we’re working with 14 of CCAD’s finest designers across multiple disciplines and classes. These designers are making one-of-a-kind collections specifically for the store.”

Templeton worked alongside six other students in the class with Adjunct Faculty Marcia Tabler leading the project. Students handled everything from the marketing strategy to the promotional photography and video, to the store design. Students in the retail class include Advertising & Graphic Design sophomore Qisha Kendy, junior Haley Fischer, and seniors Lillie Templeton and Katie Westbrook; Fashion Design senior Krista Sison; Illustration junior Katie Vasey; and Media Studies junior Amanda Hess.

Promotional image for Ryun Harrison’s collection for One

“It seems like a fun and creative way to try and sell some of my creations,” said Audrey Swart, Fashion Design junior and designer for One. “It is an interesting and beneficial way to get my name out there for people to see.”

Swart’s collection for One will include classic denim fashion that has been updated with studs, leather, and other innovative materials to create a more punk and edgy look.

Fashion Design junior Ryun Harrison is making unisex clothing inspired by various spiritual practices, goth and grunge styles, and the eccentricities that surround him.

Promotional image for Audrey Swart’s collection for One

“Doing a collection for One enables me to influence what my peers wear, become a part of various established styles, and get my name out there as a designer,” Harrison said. “This is a great project, and I am glad to be a part of it.”

Work in the store will range from bowties to screenprinted shirts. The student designers will keep 100% of their profits.

“I was really intrigued with the idea of creating a store with other designers with different styles,” said Bryston Walters, a Fashion Design junior. “I think it is going to be a really fun experience to be able to walk through a store and see just how differently people handle materials, and what their design aesthetic is.”

To read interviews and information on all 14 designers, click here. One will be open in Beaton Gallery Dec. 9, 1–9 p.m. and Dec. 10, 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m. The store will accept cash and credit/debit cards. Check out the video documenting the building and final result of One here.